Case file · Sacred site
Newark Earthworks lunar alignment
Built by Hopewell people around 100 BC–AD 500, the Newark Earthworks in Ohio include an octagon and circle which, astronomers Ray Hively and Robert Horn showed in 1982, align with the 18.6-year cycle of moonrises.
100 CE · 40.05, -82.44 · status: official
The account
The earthworks are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site; much of the octagon lies inside a golf course.
The sceptical view
Some archaeologists debate how precise the alignment is, but the lunar interpretation is widely accepted.